North Korean athlete finally speaks out: "I didn't have good results due to injury"

North Korean swimmer Ri Hye-kyong is interviewed after finishing the women's 100m butterfly preliminary round at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Sept. 23.

North Korea's athletes at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games have been unavailable for interviews, but one athlete has finally spoken out.

Ri Hye-kyong, 18, a swimmer representing the Federation of Korean Americans in Japan, spoke after her first event at the Games.

Lee competed in the second heat of the women's 100-meter butterfly at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Aquatic Sports Arena in Hangzhou, China, on Sunday, finishing last with a time of 1:07.72.

She finished 19th out of 25 swimmers and missed out on a ticket to the final, which is reserved for the top eight finishers.

Passing through the post-race press area, Lee laughed off requests for interviews from Korean reporters. When asked if she had been instructed not to speak to Korean reporters, she shrugged it off.

However, she did not avoid speaking to foreign media. Li Hye-kyung was more than happy to oblige when a Chinese reporter asked for an interview.

"It wasn't as good (as I had hoped)," Lee said after the race.

Her time of 1:07.72 was more than six seconds slower than her entry time of 1:01.40. "I was not in good shape," she said. I had a cut (injury), so I couldn't train hard. Now I'm recovering little by little."

"It's been a long time since I've competed in China, and the pool is very different. I am happy to participate in this competition held in China," she said, adding that her goal is to break her personal record. casinosite.zone